~ Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without

The Post That Almost Wasn’t

Because once I took all these pictures I came SO CLOSE to dropping my phone in the toilet. While I am (I think) beyond the classic phone in the back jeans pocket rookie mistake (not that I have not been humbled by that one many times) this was a full on hurling my iphone out of my hand and it hitting the very edge and then teetering…Yea, its 3:45 and I have not started studying yet. Finals I feel like is like being a new mom, you can be SO PRODUCTIVE in such a short period of time all the sudden I just want to apply it to things I like doing. While is how it comes that I am only one gift short of being done with Christmas shopping AND all 2013 birthdays. Also, I finally pulled the trigger on the bathroom tile. The slate is a for sure go and I bought a bunch of this winning penny tile last night. My penny tile obsession comes from where else, but Young House Love of course. I am still hoping to be able to work this in too maybe as a border?

I think I have selected a vanity finally and just need to choose a paint color:

Yea its a little excessive. Also now everything in my house is green, yellow, and purple? That pewabic is going in the shower, and I hoped to frame it with some of these prohibitively expensivefancy color changing tiles but they have been surprisingly unresponsive. The like some white chiffon type shower curtain and everything else distressed white so its not too dark? Unfortunately it does not match my dream towels but I guess that will keep me from spending $50.00 on a single towel. Win-win.

John made one early renovation:

Its doodle and wife approved. Also Doodle approved? The shea butter lotion bars that I made a double batch of. Snuffy ate them all off the table when I was in the other room. According to the internet shea butter is fine for dogs but this was a quantity so I am watching for signs of…internal lubrication. I added some body shimmer when I made them but thankfully it was from Lush so there was nothing too toxic in it. Although maybe they have to amend their no animal testing policy now?

Lest you think a board across the tub (with safety features!!) Is John’s best work, I finally got a (halfway) decent picture of the downstairs bookshelf:

I am also thinking about doing a chevron accent wall like this at the top of the stairs.

Call me crazy but I am thinking metallic gold and white?

Martha to the rescue:

If Martha makes it it can’t be tacky right? thats like a rule? I think this might be too trendy anyway but in like a year I can repaint it as a more demure accent wall as long as metallic paint is not as hard to take off as metallic nail polish. Amirite? I didn’t even know they made metallic wall paint and was envisioning me using like tiny Joann’s $7 paint tubs so this was a good find.

This was also the first week of the cow lease. I was excited to see they actually “lease” a lot of products including homemade deodorant, colostrum, honey, maple syrup, fertilizer, etc.

These curds were the difference between night and day from non-raw milk. This was the best and fastest set I had ever experienced and I wasn’t even sure it would work at all because of the addition of 1/2 cup truffle oil to Ricki Carroll’s Traditional Cheddar Recipe. Because of the blowout that occurred from my too small mold last time I split it into two pressing batches. The first came out great:

and is very truffly tasting.

The second the curds had to be chilled while they waited for their turn so they are not pressing as well. Lesson learned. I am already overwhelmed by how much milk we have. I was going to make yogurt but now I think I will save it for overnight oats next week. Actually consuming milk is getting mixed reviews but cheese is consistently a winner.

I used to work at Joann Fabrics, for about 6 months, before I realized I was spending more money than I was earning working there. As a result I have a LOT of crafting supplies (mostly fabric) from when I worked there that I had a plan for and had not gotten to. So of course now, 3 years later during finals time, is the appropriate time to break out these projects. I started making this vest but had enough fabric left over for the skirt:

That is the back of the skirt, because the kick pleats are my favorite part. Disreagrd that the zipper and buttons are not done yet. I wanted to do something lined because I am working up to making a blazer out of my favorite Joann’s (redtag) find:

I stole this fabric right out from under another (more talented and visionary) employee who had plans to make it into a smoking jacket. So, I have always felt too scared to start working with it. Now that I am done with the vest and skirt I feel ready…to make a muslin version to practice on. I of course did not buy practical things when I worked there so I had no muslin but I did receive about 7 yards of this:

As a gift. I’m sure you can see where this is going.

Who doesn’t need a licensed pink U of M blazer? No one I know (which is literally a threat since I may gift someone with this).

I wrapped up the day of non-studying with an early christmas themed smoothie:

And an arugula salad? what? Due to weird Michigan weather the arugula in my garden is still going strong and I ate tomatoes from my garden as recently as four days ago AKA December 1. So weird. I finished up Gone Girl and as predicted, felt weird about it. Now onto What Alice Forgot because I can only deal with fiction during finals and apparently I do whatever Peanut Butter Fingers tells me to.

Anyway its almost dark, prime time to crack a book for the first time today, or nap.